Hijrah, or migration, immortalized in Muslim psyche by the Prophet Muhammadís removal from Makkah to Madinah in September 622, is considered by many Muslim as an Islamic ideal. The concept has influenced millions of Muslims over the last nine centuries to migrate from their homeland conquered by non-Muslims. It has also been used in recent centuries by various Islamic movements as a revolutionary concept to mobilize mass support.

This study probes in depth the origins and development of this concept in the light of the original Islamic sources together with a study of its application in Muslims history in places like west Africa, Algeria , Sudan, India and Egypt.